No. of children at time of Fukushima disaster diagnosed with thyroid cancer hits 160

FUKUSHIMA -- The total number of children at the time of the 2011 nuclear disaster here who have since been diagnosed with thyroid cancer has reached 160, a prefectural investigative commission announced at a March 5 meeting.

One more local person, who was aged 18 or under at the time of the meltdowns at the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant, had been found to have thyroid cancer following health examinations as of the end of December. However, the commission has stated that "it is difficult to think that the cases are related to radiation exposure" from the disaster.

The first round of thyroid examinations started after the accident in 2011 for people who were 18 and under living in the prefecture at the time of the disaster. The second round covered about 380,000 people, including children who were born in the year following the meltdowns. The fourth round will begin next fiscal year starting April 1.